"Celebrate - with caution - Part II"

The quick Friday night "Celebrate - with caution - Part II" update ...

Dane's blood counts dropped a bit too much between Tuesday and today so a platelet and red blood cell transfusion was required to stabilize his blood situation. Both levels were on the bubble, however given he was bruising very easily and we were on the verge of a weekend, the doctor and I agreed some help with his blood was a good idea. As was the case in April, he had an allergic reaction to the platelets, specifically a stomach ache and hives. The doctor said some people react to the proteins in the platelets and now that he has reacted both times, it's pretty safe to say he's one of those people. We are hoping he will never need platelets again when he's in Maintenance so today may have been our last blood allergic reaction experience. It was uncomfortable for him but he managed pretty well with some benadryl and morphine. Before he received the platelets, his count was 12 and after it was 66 (well out of the "danger" zone). His hemoglobin was 75 prior to but we don't know what it was after the transfusion because a follow-up test wasn't done. However, his color is much better already and he has more spring in his step tonight than earlier today.

Transfusion days are VERY long - we were at the Cancer Clinic from 9:00 am until nearly 6:00 pm. A big thanks to Auntie Jodi who came at lunch to spring Ashley. I am confident she much preferred being spoiled for the afternoon vs. spending nine hours at the clinic. Dirk joined us in the late afternoon so I could stop running back and forth between Clare and Dane. Our not so little Clare gets spoiled on these days because there is no shortage of people interested in holding her. However, most of my helpers are usually gone by early afternoon when their appointments are finished. Now that she is a whopping 15 lbs, the help was great because I was aching a fair bit after a tough Dragon Boat practice last night. Apparently muscles that haven't been worked in a year don't respond too well to practicing our race start many, many times in one night.

Knock on wood for us now, because if Dane can stay "fever" free for the next week or so, we will make it through the entire "hard-core" phase without any rehospitalizations. The doctor had me a bit spooked today, because she mentioned "neutropenic (his level is now only .3), high temp and immediate trip to the ER/ward" a few too many times. I know she is just reinforcing the message, but I did tell her at one point not to jinx us. Yep, I was practicing my diplomacy skills again!

In my haste to finish the Part I entry yesterday, I forgot to mention a couple of celebratory moments from the past week and to post a cool photo taken last Thursday. The entire family had a chance to pose with the Stanley Cup, as Jason Botteril (his family lives in Wildwood Park), is the Asst GM of the Penguins. It was a highlight for all of us, but particularly Dane and Dirk. We made sure out of the numerous hats Dane owns, he donned his Pittsburgh cap that evening. Ashley and Dane each brought a friend to PL last weekend and many fun activities were enjoyed by all.

Take care everyone and enjoy your weekend. If you don't hear from me until mid next week, that's a good sign we are complication free.

Janie and Dirk